Mass zoo streak for rare tigers is roaring success

Mass zoo streak for rare tigers is roaring success

Claws for thought... naked campaigners gather at London Zoo to help save Sumatran tigers (Pic: PA)

“It was the chance to get naked in a zoo, for the tigers. It was very liberating.”

Streaker Son Osman

Hundreds of animal lovers earned their stripes by running naked around London zoo to raise money for a rare subspecies of tiger.

The sponsored streak saw 300 runners strip off to make their way through the Zoo in the after-hours event, watched by their supporters and some rather bemused animals.

Wearing nothing more than trainers,body paint. tiger masks and tiger ears, they ran a 300m course through the centre of the attraction, with some exhibitionists choosing to complete several laps of the circuit.

Streak for Tigers, named after the collective noun for the animal, raised some £60,000 which will be ploughed into conservation work to protect the Sumatran tigers, of which only 300 remain in the wild.

Nic Coles, 34, from Biggin Hill, Kent, said: "I was a bit nervous at first, but after seeing so many people turning out for it, it made it feel a lot easier.

"If it helps the tigers, I'd do it all over again."

Fellow streaker Son Osman, 31, from Bromley, south east London, said: "It was the chance to get naked in a zoo, for the tigers. It was very liberating."

James Wren, development director at ZSL, said: "There was an amazing buzz in the crowd, both from the spectators and the participants who were running around naked. They just enjoyed it so much, they were delighted."